NEWARK, DE -- Seven University of Delaware student-athletes from fall sports teams have been selected as their team’s 2007 Blue Hen Team Sportsmanship Award winner for this past season, UD Director of Athletics Edgar N. Johnson announced.

The program, now in its fifth year, honors those student-athletes who have been outstanding role models and displayed outstanding sportsmanship towards their teammates, coaches, opponents, and game officials. The winners, who will receive a certificate noting their award at the season-ending athletics banquet, are selected by the coaching staffs of each sport. Winter sports winners will be announced in March with the spring winners being announced in May.

The 2007 fall winners are junior Craig Lebro in men’s cross country; freshman Christina Sloat in women’s cross country; senior Molly Burke in field hockey, senior J.T. Laws in football, junior Billy Paugh in men’s soccer, junior Dana Rodgers in women’s soccer, and senior Megan Welch (at right) in volleyball.

Lebro, a mechanical engineering major from Columbia, MD (Oakland Mills High School), earned his first letter in 2007 as he competed in five events with a top finish of 32nd at the season-opening Towson Invitational. He is also a distance runner for the UD men’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams and captured the 1,500 meter race at the 2007 Delaware Outdoor Open.

Sloat, an exercise science major from Shenendehowa, NY (Ballston Lake HS), was a key member of the cross country team as a freshman in 2007, competing in five meets and posting two top 20 finishes with an 11th place showing at the Monmouth Invitational and a 16th place finish at the Towson Invitational. She is also a member of the UD indoor and outdoor track and field programs. Her older sister, Carolynn, a standout pitcher for the UD softball team the previous four seasons before earning her degree this past May, was a two-time UD Team Sportsmanship Award winner.

Burke, a human services major with a minor in fine arts from Southbury, CT (Pomperaug HS), was a first team All-Colonial Athletic Association and second team All-Mid-Atlantic Region pick in 2005. She closed our her career with the Blue Hens in 2007 by scoring five goals and dishing out two assists. She posted 18 goals and 11 assists during her career a four-year letterwinner.

Laws, a health and exercise science major with a minor in coaching from St. George’s, DE (William Penn HS), was a two-year letterwinner as a backup linebacker and special teams standout for the Blue Hen football team, helping lead the 2007 squad to the national championship game with an 11-4 record. In two seasons, he recorded 64 tackles, including 33 in 2007 when he also had three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Paugh, a sport management major with a minor in business administration from Parkesburg, PA (Lancaster Catholic HS), played in 12 games this past season as a midfielder. A three-year letterwinner, he has played in 42 career games for the Blue Hens with 12 starts.

Rodgers, a biology major from Wallingford, PA (Strath-Haven HS), earned her third letter in 2007 as she played in 18 games with 13 starts and scored one goal. For her career, she has played in 40 games with 10 starts and has two goals.

Welch, a hotel, restaurant, and institutional management major from Yorba Linda, CA (Esperanza HS), earned her fourth letter this fall as she led the Blue Hen volleyball team to its best season in school history with a 31-5 record, the Colonial Athletic Association title, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament where UD defeated Princeton in the opening round. A 2007 co-captain, Welch was named the CAA Setter of the Year, the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and a first team All-CAA selection this past season as she registered a league-leading 13.2 assists per game.